Cláudio Seto

Chuji Seto Takeguma

(1944 - 15 November 2008, Brazil)

O Samurai

Cláudio Seto was a Brazilian polymath, who worked in several fine art field, but was also a poet and a photographer. Born in Guaiçara, São Paulo, he was of Samurai descent. Seto was one of the first artists who introduced the manga style in Brazilian comics. He began his career with Editora Edrel in 1963 with titles like 'O Samurai', 'Ninja - o Samurai Mágico' and 'Ídolo Juvenil – Flavo'.

Seto returned to his hometown where he was elected councilor for two terms when Edrel disappeared in 1975. He returned to comics in 1978 when the began an association with the publishing house Grafipar in Curitiba. He revived his older characters 'Maria Erótica' and 'O Samurai' and created new ones like 'Super-Pinóquio' and 'Katy Apache'.

Initially inspired by Japanese artists like Osamu Tezuka, Seto was forced to work in a more cartoony style later on. He was an advisor for the Brazilian Association of Designers and Manga Illustrators (Abrademi) and published cartoons and comic strips in papers like Tribuna do Paraná, O Estado do Paraná and Correio de Notícias.